Bean Cooking Directions:

Stovetop: Soak the beans for 6 - 8 hours in cold water. Drain the beans, add cold water to cover, bring to a boil, skim foam, cover and simmer 1 - 2 hours until just tender

Slow Cooker: After soaking, boiling & skimming the foam, drain beans and add to cooker with cold water to cover. Cover and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours, just until tender. Add 1/4 tsp salt to keep the beans from splitting and breaking apart when cooking.

Pressure Cooker: Soak the beans 12 hours and rinse. Add rinsed beans to pressure cooker with cold water to cover about 1/2 inch above the beans. Bring to a boil and skim the foam. Add 1/4 tsp salt if desired to keep the beans intact while cooking. Lock the pressure cooker lid, bring up to high pressure, reduce heat to low and cook for 9 minutes. Cook for another 2 or 3 minutes if the beans are not completely cooked. Remove from heat and allow pressure to release slowly (takes about 10 minutes).

Bean Sauce Directions:

If you're using canned beans, drain the beans and rinse them, BUT RESERVE THE LIQUID!

Simmer the bean sauce while you prep the veggies and parboil the rice

Long Grain Brown Rice Cooking Directions:

Wash and rinse the rice twice, draining well

Add to 2 qt saucepan with 2 1/4 cups cold water

Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes

Remove brown rice from heat and set aside. It should be chewy, and all water absorbed at this point

Cuban Rice & Black Beans Directions:

While the bean sauce is simmering and the rice is cooking:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil on medium low in a dutch oven or sauté pan (oven proof) on top of the stove

Chop the garlic, onion, ginger, pepper & celery

Stir fry the veggies until the onion is translucent

Add the spices and oregano and stir for 2 more minutes

Add the brown rice and mix with the veg

Stir the beans and sauce into the rice and veg

Cover, transfer to the preheated oven, and bake for 30 minutes

Serve immediately, garnished with chopped cilantro and lime wedges

Recipe Tips:

Cooking time doesn't include the bean cooking time, which varies from about 10 minutes in the pressure cooker to 8 hours crockpot or slow coooker

This black bean recipe was adapted from Cooks Illustrated Magazine: What I liked about their recipe was the idea of baking the dish in the oven. But the author threw in a lame vegetarian option - leave out the bacon and add tomato paste. I couldn't resist the challenge. I used brown instead of white rice, more seasonings, and changed the cooking method to make a tasty vegan version.

If you can, cook your own black beans, because the cooking liquid is an important part of the recipe. If you use canned beans, reserve the liquid to add to the sauce. You many need to reduce the Braggs or soy sauce or skip adding salt, with canned beans.

Brown rice has a long cooking time, so I parboiled it first to avoid overcooking the beans and veggies. If you prefer, use quick cooking brown rice, and no pre-cooking, although the texture isn't as good.

For this recipe, you'll need a heavy bottomed dutch oven or sauté pan that can go from the stovetop into the oven. Or you can finish cooking this dish on the stove if you don't mind the rice sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Menu Suggestions:

Tamales would be traditional with this dish, but if you can't manage that, corn tortillas would work. Salsa Fresca would be a nice addition, and Cuban cooking is eclectic enough to include Italian polenta, or even French bread!

Recipe Comments:

Thank you for having this recipe on your website! I did not have cilantro or lime but it still turned out great! Normally my husband does not like rice dishes and he had 2 servings of this! Thank you again! - Erin J-W.

Q: This looked good, and I bought all the stuff, but hadn't read to the end where it says to put it in the oven. It has been very hot and very muggy here for 10 days, and will continue in this pattern for at least another week. I do not want to light the oven! Can this be done in a slow cooker if I add the rice towards the end? (I can put the cooker outdoors.) Thanks - Harriet R.

A: I don't see why you couldn't make this in the slow cooker. 4 - 6 hours on low is my guess for time. Sauteing the veggies in oil according to the recipe, before adding to the crockpot, will speed up cooking. You could add raw rice at the start, or cooked rice about 1/2 hour before the end of cooking. - Judith K. Savvy Vegetarian